Walk and Chalk for Heat Detection Daily

Walk and Chalk for Heat Detection Daily

Heat Detection Technique: ”Walk and Chalk”

Over time I have taught the concept and technique of tail chalking for heat detection for 30 years. This is called “Walk and Chalk”. This process should be the primary heat detection technique used daily. This can be the only heat detection technique used.

When tail chalking technique is done correctly visual heat detection can be totally eliminated! Yes yard men doing visual heat detection can be totally eliminated. Currently these yard men are a total waste of labor……..however.

Heat Detection Techniques: Daily Walk and Chalk

Inseminators should be doing all of the tail chalking, not the yard men. The inseminators should be the only ones with chalk in their hands.

Process:

Cows lock up in the morning. The insemination walks the tails of the cows looking for rubbed off chalk. He consults the Herdbook when there is a questionable rubbed off cow. Obvious hot cows are inseminated at that moment.

He makes immediate decisions on inseminating or not. He re chalks the cows he has inseminated and refreshes the chalk on all cows in the pen as he goes past at a brisk pace.

At the end of the pen, if there are visually observed cows on a list, he then checks to be sure he has caught them as well with the chalk technique. Then the pen is released to drink, eat, and make milk. Very easy and extremely efficient.

If a cow is rubbed off again the next morning then she is re inseminated as she is having a longer than normal estrus cycle.

Each insemination must read his own chalk.

Again with this technique working correctly no yard men are necessary.

Heat detection rates will improve.

Make each inseminator team responsible for and incentivized on, their results. Today the inseminators have no idea if they are doing a good job or not. They are never shown any results of their work.

Last issue:

a) Be sure cows are locked for too long periods! The teams doing injections, the teams doing pregnancy diagnosis, and the teams doing heat detection and insemination must coordinate with each other and all be in the same pens at the same time. Finish all the work and release the cows a.s.a.p.. Maximum locking time 1.5 hours! NO EXCUSES!

b) All of these teams should start at the same time in the summer. 5:00 am at the dairy.